Effect of Cryogenic Treatment on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AZ31 Magnesium Alloy

The effect of cryogenic treatment (77 K) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of magnesium and AZ31 magnesium alloy has been investigated in this article. The results show that tensile stress and the hardness of the samples treated in a cryogenic environment are higher than those of the untreated samples. The improvement of mechanical properties is highly dependent on the soaking time. The main reason for the improvement of mechanical properties could be ascribed to the generation of a type of “frame-like” twinning during the cryogenic treatment, which also leads to the evolution of grain orientation.